- Miguel Sapochnik reportedly exited as co-showrunner of "House of the Dragon" over a dispute with HBO.
- HBO wouldn't let his wife, actress Alexis Raben, return as a producer for season two, Puck reported.
When Miguel Sapochnik exited as co-showrunner of the "Game of Thrones" prequel "House of the Dragon" in August, all appeared to be friendly.
But there was more going on behind the scenes than initially thought, according to a new report.
Puck's Matthew Belloni reported in his latest "What I'm Hearing" newsletter that Sapochnik exited the role ahead of season two because HBO declined to let his wife, actress Alexis Raben, return to the producing team because of her "inexperience."
Raben is credited as a producer on season one and also appeared in several episodes as Talya, a spy for Mysaria.
HBO brought in a mediator to "deescalate" the situation, according to Belloni, but Sapochnik still decided to exit as co-showrunner after HBO rejected Raben.
A spokesperson for HBO declined to comment for Insider. Representatives for Sapochnik and Raben did not immediately return requests for comment from Insider.
In a statement in August, Sapochnik called it an "honor and a privilege" to be involved with "House of the Dragon," and said that the decision was "tough" but "the right choice for me, personally and professionally."
When it was made public that he would be leaving, HBO also announced that Sapochnik, who had also directed several episodes of "Game of Thrones," landed a first-look deal with HBO to develop new projects and would remain as an executive producer of "House of the Dragon."
In a statement at the time, HBO said: "While we would have loved to have Miguel continue in the same role, we are thrilled to have his ongoing collaboration in this new creative capacity."
"House of the Dragon" was a hit for HBO, with the season-one finale in October, garnering 9.3 million viewers in its first night — the biggest finale audience for the network since the "Game of Thrones" series finale in 2019.